ARE HIGHLY STRUCTURED JOB INTERVIEWS RESISTANT TO DEMOGRAPHIC SIMILARITY EFFECTS?

This study examines the extent to which highly structured job interviews are resistant to demographic similarity effects. The sample comprised nearly 20,000 applicants for a managerial-level position in a large organization. Findings were unequivocal: Main effects of applicant gender and race were not associated with interviewers’ ratings of applicant performance nor was applicant–interviewer similarity with regard to gender and race. These findings address past inconsistencies in research on demographic similarity effects in employment interviews and demonstrate the value of using highly structured interviews to minimize the potential influence of applicant demographic characteristics on selection decisions.     

Inter‐cultural adolescent ritual practice

Scholars disagree as to whether or not a homogeneous global youth culture exists. This study explores the nuances and glocalisation of authentic adolescent ritual practice/s in Scotland and the USA. The high school prom is a ritual imported recently to the UK from the USA. This study reports on questionnaire responses and focus group data with adolescents in Scotland and US exchange students at UK universities. The study probes the assumptions and realities that constitute authentic appropriation of this event. Scottish adolescents' perceptions of US high school prom practice emphasises the presence of indexical cues whereas Scottish practice relies on the iconic. Indexical and iconic cues are interdependent for US respondents. Future research opportunities as well as marketing implications are provided. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Attachment as a Function of Parental and Partner Approach-Avoidance Tendencies

This two-part investigation develops a new scale of parental attachment that includes the previously under examined form of role reversal, or being a caregiver for one's parent, and explores the contention that romantic attachment is more dyadic than originally conceived, in that it is a function of an interaction between parental attachment style and specific partner romantic attachment style. It was expected that the most secure partners would have secure attachments with their parents and partners who report their own secure romantic attachment, that the most preoccupied partners would have been anxious-ambivalent in their attachment to their parents and paired with dismissively avoidant others, and that the most dismissively avoidant partners would have been role reversed by their parents and paired with preoccupied partners. Support for this expanded model was found, in that parental and partner attachments both influenced the final form of romantic attachment, with partner attachment appearing to have more influence than parental attachment. The relationship of romantic attachment style to the subsequent communication outcome of self-disclosure was also explored. Results supported expectations, with security relating positively to intentional and honest self-disclosure, preoccupation relating negatively with honesty, and dismissive avoidance relating to greater positivity and less honesty.     

Profiling key purchase influencers: Those perceived as consumer savvy

The concept of consumer intelligence or consumer savvy is defined and the way in which this can be measured is examined with a view to determining if and how being perceived to be savvy affects decision‐making influence in a family setting in the UK. A sample of 524 matched pairs (mother and her child) drawn from the TNS postal panel responded to a questionnaire that determined the mother's perception of how savvy her child is with regard to shopping in general and with regard to two product categories (casual clothes for the child and a summer holiday). The child's reported influence on decision making in these categories as well as their money management is also explored. The children perceived to be more savvy were female and older. Mothers in lower socio‐economic groups were also more likely to perceive their children as ‘savvy’. The more savvy children were more involved in the purchase decision process. Implications and future research avenues are presented. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Early evangelist or reluctant Rudolph? attitudes towards the Christmas commercial campaign

Organisations utilise and maximise marketing at various traditional events during the year. Customised offers are combined with intensive commercial campaigns, which use traditional symbols in order to boost sales volume. The response of customers to these promotional ‘storms’ is complex and diverse. Buyers have developed a series of strategies to deal with the information overload and their attitudes largely determine their response to commercial offers. This paper attempts to investigate the response of customers to the Christmas commercial campaign. Based on customers' attitudes and behaviour, this study proposes an original segmentation of Christmas shoppers, and investigates the use of different advertising channels by different segments. Copyright © 2002 Henry Stewart Publications Ltd.     

Prospective memory and frontal lobe function

The study sought to examine the role of frontal lobe functioning in focal prospective memory (PM) performance and its relation to PM deficit in older adults. PM and working memory (WM) differences were studied in younger aged (n = 21), older aged (n = 20), and frontal injury (n = 14) groups. An event-based focal PM task was employed and three measures of WM were administered. The younger aged group differed from the other two groups in showing significantly higher scores on PM and on one of the WM measures, but there were no differences at a statistically significant level between the older aged group and the frontal injury groups on any of the memory measures. There were, however, some differences in correlations with a WM measure between groups. It is concluded that there are similarities and differences in the deficits in PM between older adults and patients with frontal lobe injury on focal as well as nonfocal PM tasks.     

Positive illusion in close relationships

The literature regarding self-other comparisons suggests that self-enhancing perceptions are prevalent, including forms of “illusion” such as excessively positive self-evaluation, unrealistic optimism, and exaggerated perceptions of control. Concepts from optimal distinctiveness theory served as the basis for two experiments examining whether illusion functions similarly when the context of evaluation involves a relationship. In both experiments participants rated themselves, the best friend, and the average other—or their own romantic relationships, the best friend's relationship, and the relationship of the average other–using scales measuring positivity of evaluation, optimism regarding the future, and perceptions of control. In both experiments, participants exhibited centrality-based differentiation, rating targets more favorably to the degree that the target was more central to their social identity. Patterns of differentiation differed for the two contexts: In the individual context, participants differentiated themselves and their friends from the average other. In the relationship context, participants differentiated their own relationships from the relationships of friends and average others. Also, participants rated individuals as more controllable than relationships. Participants in Experiment 2 provided information regarding potential predictors of illusion. Analyses of these data suggest that favorable centrality-based differentiation may be partially accounted for by impression management, global self-esteem (particularly in the individual context), and commitment level (particularly in the relationship context).     

PROGRESSION THROUGH THE RANKS: ASSESSING EMPLOYEE REACTIONS TO HIGH-STAKES EMPLOYMENT TESTING

Employee reactions to promotional examinations were investigated in 2 studies ( N  = 498 & 182, respectively) of police officers. Anxiety, motivation, and justice perceptions were examined as possible predictors of promotional exam performance and intentions to recommend the exam to others. Reactions to a promotional examination were significantly and differentially related to those criteria. Motivation predicted performance whereas justice perceptions predicted recommendation intentions. In Study 2, the role of cognitive processing was also investigated. Results indicated that candidate reactions predicted exam performance through cognitive processing mechanisms. Exam motivation facilitated cognitive processing, which resulted in higher levels of exam performance. In contrast, exam anxiety exhibited both facilitative and debilitative cognitive processing effects.     

Youth and the sociability of “Vaping”

This article examines the contemporary and evolving social ritual of vaping (also known as the use and consumption of e‐cigarettes). This novel research finds a typology of users in a heterogeneous youth market and shows how the introduction of this new practice challenges existing ritual boundaries. Previous research has focused on the de‐marketing of tobacco and smoking cessation. Here, virtuous, dynamic, vulnerable, and invisible vapers are identified with each demonstrating differing levels of emotional engagement and characteristics of vaping behaviors. Utilizing Collins' theory of interaction rituals as a lens, this qualitative study explores the sociability of vaping practices to gain a deeper understanding of the enduring appeal of vaping and the subsequent consequences for youth “smoking” behaviors. While some vapers advocate the health benefits of this relatively new practice, the use of e‐cigarettes is also used as a form of resistance as well as mechanism for misbehavior. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Model Legislation for Licensed Professional Counselors

State legislated licensure for professional counselors is a critical aspect of the evolution of the counseling profession. Model licensure legislation will help promote a unified view of the profession. Model legislation for licensed professional counselors, along with a rationale for the content of said legislation, is presented.